Softer and More Beautiful
by starlight.moon.princess
Summary: As Christmas approaches, the wesen of Portland and their allies manage to find some time to enjoy the warmth of the holidays despite all their troubles :: 22 - Monroe gets his revenge. :: 23 - Valentina Espinosa finally returns home :: 24 - Alexander and De Groot discuss Krampus :: 25 - A Christmas eve dinner, starring Monroe, Rosalee, Juliette, Hank, Renard and Nick
1. Hope Springs Eternal

**A/N: This is going to be a collection of what I hope will be 25 fics by the time it's done, both drabbles and short one-shots. It will focus on a whole host of characters, including some of the really minor ones. I hope you like it!**

* * *

The problem with being a Grimm with a conscience, he mused, was that there were undoubtedly some _wesen_ who would have preferred that he didn't have one at all. And the problem with being him was that he inevitably ended up in the parts of Portland that were populated by said _wesen_.

He had been on the trail on a suspect – a human suspect, for once – in a murder investigation when he'd been led here. Unfortunately for him, he was right in the middle of _mellifer_ territory – and by the looks he was getting from windows, they still hadn't forgiven him about their queen.

It had been a long day – he'd been on the trail all day, and to top it all off, Nick hadn't yet managed to catch a sight of him. All he wanted was a place to rest for some time before returning home.

In most other parts of the city, it wouldn't have been a problem – there were usually a couple of _eisbieber_ families around who were happy to give him something to eat and drink and a place to rest. But the _mellifers_ protected their territory just as fiercely as bees protected their hive, and there were no friendly _wesen_ here to help him out.

He started to trudge back towards his car, preparing himself for a long drive back to Monroe's, where he was meeting Monroe and Rosalee for dinner. At least, that was what he planned to do – when he heard the softest whisper possible.

Turning towards the sound, he saw that the source of the sound was a young woman from one of the houses he had thought were owned by the _mellifers_. At that moment, he was sure that she was a regular human – there was no chance that one of the bee _wesen_ would be helping him – until he noticed her _woge_ for a second before returning to human form.

It was enough to make him curious, and despite the voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Monroe telling him not to, he found himself approaching her.

"Come in quickly," she whispered urgently once he came within earshot, "Before one of the others sees you."

Only when he was inside the house and she had locked the door that she relaxed. It was then that Nick noticed that all the curtains on the windows facing the street were drawn, preventing anyone from looking in.

"Just wait here for a second," she murmured, turning around and making her way towards what Nick assumed was her kitchen.

She came out holding two glasses. Handing one to Nick, she said, "It's apple cider. You looked tired outside – this will do you some good."

Nick was slowly finding the woman in front of him more interesting by the second. "Why are you helping me?" he asked curiously, taking a sip from the glass she handed him. She was right – it was good. "I thought the _mellifers_ wanted nothing to do with me."

"They don't," she replied, "But I'm not really a part of the hive, so the new queen can't control my actions."

"What do you mean?"

"_Mellifer_ society works almost identical to bee society – we have one queen, and a whole host of worker bees. The queen is the only female _mellifer_ who is part of the hive – the wives of the worker bees are humans, or other wesen, and the same goes for any daughter. But once in a while, there will a new female _mellifer_ born – the new queen."

"So you're the new queen?" he asked. "I thought that when that happens, it's the new queen who keeps the hive, and the old one leaves with a few worker bees to find a new hive."

"That's where _mellifer_ society differs," she replied. "It's the new queen that needs to find a new hive – she's given a few of the worker bees born in her generation to help her find her new territory, but the old queen keeps control over most of the original hive."

"But still, I would have expected you to hold the same grudge as the hive I met does."

"The hive is the queen's responsibility," the woman explained. "The old hive had no choice but to turn against you – if they hadn't done so, the queen would have looked weak. But in doing so, she's turned many of Portland's _wesen_ against the _mellifer_ hive."

Nick opened his mouth to question her words, but before he could, she continued. "I don't think you realise it, Grimm, but you have earned the loyalty of many different _wesen_ since you became Portland's Grimm. In turning away from you, the hive found that these _wesen_ turned away from them. Honey sales are down significantly since that happened, and selling honey is an integral of how _mellifers_ make their livelihood. I don't plan on letting that happen to my hive."

"Won't you be leaving Portland? I thought the city was all the territory of the hive I met – they just keep to this area."

"No, the length and breadth of the territory is this part of Portland. I'm free to claim another part, as long as it isn't too close to the old hive. And I don't particularly want to leave this city. Besides, you were just doing your job that day. If _Mellischwuler_ Wincroft had been careful and stayed out of your radar, you would never have been forced to turn against her. That's a mistake I don't plan on making anytime soon."

He supposed it was too much to ask that the _mellifers_ make peace with the idea of never killing _hexenbiest_ again – but at least this time, he had advance warning of what could happen if the witch-like _wesen_ ever returned to Portland.

"Once the new hive is ready, I'll be sure to let you know," the woman murmured. "You will be welcome there whenever you wish to visit, Grimm, I promise you this. And if you ever need any help, just remember that you can call upon Ramona Spinella."

Regardless of whatever Ramona was planning, it still made him happy to know that he hadn't earned the hatred of all the _mellifer_ because of the last time he had encountered them. It gave him hope for his relationships with the other _wesen_ who hated him, like the _bauerschwine_.

Maybe, he mused, there was still hope that he could be the Grimm he wanted to be without alienating most of the relatively harmless _wesen_ that called Portland home. Whatever the case might be, he was thankful that he met the young queen when he did – she had given him both a place to rest and a restoration of his hopes, things he had badly needed.

What had seemed like hours wasted fruitlessly chasing his suspect had turned into a day that hadn't been as bad as he had thought it was. He had met Ramona at what he was sure Monroe would call the best possible time when Nick told him the story – after all, there was no better to have his hopes returned to him than at the start of winter and the Christmas season.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	2. Flames of Change

**Ariel Eberhart from 'Plumed Serpent' this time...**

* * *

"I heard about what happened in Portland."

"I'm surprised that not everyone has," the young woman replied, sipping gently from the glass of wine in her hands. "The Grimm is big news as it is, and considering what happened that day…"

"There's a reason we stay away from the rest, you know that. No one would have believed that it was you and your father that night – like the Grimm, the rest of our world believes us to be practically extinct too."

"Maybe," Ariel Eberhart replied, setting down her now empty glass, "But that doesn't change the fact that that isn't how it should be. Once we were feared, and warriors sought _us_ out to test themselves. And now – do you know how much trouble I had to go to in order to make sure that my father had the satisfaction of dying at the hands of a worthy opponent? We have diminished in a way none of the other _wesen_ have."

"Maybe so, Ariel, but it was the only choice we had. We may be rare today, but when we still celebrated as dragons, we were rarer still. Fading into the background has allowed our species to survive and start to develop a significant population."

The dark-haired woman rose from her and moved towards the window, scowling. Looking out of the window, she aimed her glare at the gently falling snowflakes. "I hate the snow," she murmured. "It's like nature itself is laughing at us."

The man sighed. "Ariel…"

"Fine," she said harshly. "I'll leave the argument for now. You told me you had something to give me?"

"Follow me," the man replied.

He walked up to the far wall of the room, and with a click of a button – Ariel couldn't spot where it was – it seemed like the ground opened up below him. Following him into the newly revealed secret basement of the house, she found a lair not unlike the one her father had made his last stand in.

"Not even I have been able to escape some influence from the humans," he explained as they walked further in. "And considering it's supposed to be the season of giving…"

That brought a slight smile to Ariel's lips. "You were always easily swayed, William," she said. "I'm surprised that you haven't become _wieder_ yet."

William blushed lightly. "To tell you the truth, Ariel, I have been considering it," he muttered bashfully.

"Same old William. You never change."

"Regardless of that, here we are," he said as they reached what looked to be a wall of pure stone. Another quick press of the button, and the wall opened slowly.

The glitter that emanated from behind the wall would have blinded most people, especially since it came as a surprise in the darkness of the basement. But both Ariel and William were _dämonfeuer_, and their eyes had evolved to withstand the light from the glitter of treasure hoard in the inside of a cave.

William darted over to his hoard, and grabbed a few items from it – a richly studded gold crown and a statue made of delicate bronze wires. He walked over to Ariel, closing away the rest of the treasure in the process, and handed them to her.

"You did tell me that you had to rebuild your hoard after you left Portland," he said as a way of explanation.

"Perhaps human traditions have their advantages after all," Ariel mused, bestowing him with one of her rare true smiles as she accepted his offerings.

The two of them climbed back up to the main house in silence. It was only when the entrance to the basement was closed that Ariel finally started up a conversation again.

"It's getting rather late, William," she said, looking out the window once again. "I should leave before it gets too dark and I'm forced to use my fire in order to return home."

"I'll see you tomorrow then, Ariel," he replied. "We can continue this discussion then."

"Of course," she smiled. And just before she left, she quickly darted over to kiss him on his cheek.

William waved goodbye, a bright blush on his face, long after she disappeared from his line of sight.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	3. Childhood Dreams

**A/N: Mrs Clark from 'Let Your Hair Down' this time. It's shorter than the others, but I still hope you like it!  
**

* * *

"It's gorgeous!" she gasped, spinning around to look at the gigantic tree in the middle of the shopping village.

As she watched the young girl nearly dance at the sight in front of her, the woman behind smiled unashamedly. Just having Holly back – well, that had been more than she could ever have imagined. But to see her here, in the middle of the winter season, experiencing Christmas again for the first time after so long? It was almost impossible to believe that she was getting to see it.

After they had lost Holly, it was like Mason had lost the will to live. He hadn't lived long enough to see Holly again – but she had never given up hope. She might not have given birth to Holly, but that didn't make her any less of a mother to her. And a mother always knew.

Somewhere deep inside, she had known that Holly was still alive. And as long as there was any chance at all that she would see her child once again, she would never lose herself like Mason had. She had promised herself that.

That young detective had her gratitude in a way that he would never know, and then there was Monroe. After a bit of coaxing, Holly had told her how he had found her and made sure she survived her injuries – and how he was helping her acclimatization process as she tried to fit back into civilization after her long years in the forest.

"Mom!" Holly's exclamation broke her out of her thoughts. "Mom, come here, you have to see this!"

As she walked towards Holly, Emma Clark smiled brightly. For her, there was nothing better than listening to her child's happiness. She hadn't had the chance to hear it for nearly an entire decade – and now, just as Christmas approached, she had her daughter back.

That – that was the best possible Christmas gift that she could ever have. Nothing, past, present or future, would ever be able to better it.

"Mom!"

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)  
**


	4. A Rose By Any Other Name

She imagined that had they arrived here at any other time, it would still have looked as it did right now, glowing a soft white that brought back memories of safety and home.

It had been a long journey for the three of them. A Grimm might have assisted her when she gave birth, and he might have had two predatory _wesen_ with him helping, but that had done nothing to curtail her wariness. They were unusual – and as any Glühenvolk child knew, it was best to be careful that to constantly expect something unusual.

It had taken them months to reach here, the cares of their newborn daughter coming before anything. If there was no obvious, immediate threat to their lives, they would spend days at the same place, allowing them all a chance for some much needed rest.

But finally – _finally_ – they were here, in a place that looked just like what she imagined Paradise to be. There were friendly faces everywhere; faces she wouldn't have to worry would sell her out at the slightest chance.

Neither she nor the man beside her had grown up here, their families preferring to try and live like their ancestors once did – among other _wesen_ and ordinary humans, relying on their control over their _wesen_ forms to protect them. They had been killed because of their choice.

But when she had discovered that she was pregnant, there had been no other option for the two of them. Their child would grow up safe in a way they never had the chance to, have the family they had both lost too early.

And after so long, they were in Alaska. They were safe, and she could breathe once again instead of worry about another hunter coming after her baby.

"Jocelyn?" The concerned voice jarred her out of her thoughts immediately.

"I'm fine, Vincent," she said, smiling up at her gorgeous husband reassuringly.

"Shall we?" he asked her in a murmur. "I don't think we'll be able to keep them away for long – the sight of Rose already has everyone spellbound."

"She's a baby, Vince. It's really no surprise that they're enthralled – I'm sure they think that she's their early Christmas gift."

"A new saviour for our species reaching them in early December," he mused mischievously, "Sounds about right."

She burst out laughing at his mock seriousness, a laughter she hadn't felt comfortable to let out of her for months. They had barely been here a few moments, and she was already feeling so much freer.

"Come on, Vincent," she said in reply, "Let's go introduce Rose to her new family."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I had they name their daughter after Rosalee - I thought it was a fitting way for them to honour the woman who helped bring her into the world :)  
I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to review on your way out :)  
**


	5. Black Widow

**A/N: Episode tag to 'Kiss of the Muse,' 2.20**

* * *

The man standing in the middle of the room was classically handsome – dark hair, tall, with soulful eyes hardly any woman could resist. He would have looked like a model out of the glossy pages of the most popular magazines, had it not been for the worried look on his face.

"I heard you were chased out of Portland," he finally said.

An ugly frown appeared on the young woman's face. "That half-royal – he has delusions of grandeur. If it weren't for him, the Grimm would have been out of the way, arrested for murder like he should have been when he killed his first _wesen_. But, of course, the half-breed had to interfere."

"I warned you when you set your eyes on him, Khloe. The royals don't share, and even if he isn't a full royal, he still has some of their blood."

"You don't understand, Marcus. You never have."

"I understand family loyalty better than you imagine, Khloe. Your ancestor was the most famous of the _Musai_ in recent history, one of the few whose deeds managed to fill the pages of the history books after the fall of Greece and Rome. I understand why you want revenge for her, but setting after that Grimm was a stupid idea."

"One of _his_ ancestors killed her, Marcus! Immediately after she had managed to get Van Gogh to destroy himself, too! That hunter killed her at her moment of triumph, and when I heard that they managed to break the _Hexenbiest's_ spell – well, I thought it was fitting, destroying him during _his_ greatest moment of success."

The man shook his head in defeat. "You always were impetuous, Khloe. I don't know why I thought I could talk sense into you on this matter."

"I did not come here to have this conversation, Marcus. I assume you haven't had any sort of drastic change in your orientation since I last saw you?"

"Not at all, Khloe," replied tiredly. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's best not to let two predators after the same prey live in one territory for long, Marcus. I came here because I knew that we could both hunt in the same area without stepping on each other's toes."

"Khloe…"

The woman turned to face him sharply, her features shifting for a fraction of a moment from a brunette, brown-eyed woman to one with shocking red hair, eyes of the brightest blue, and skin so pale it seemed to glitter in the light. Her ears had lengthened, giving her the appearance of a nymph from ancient myths – at least, until she turned back to her human form as quickly as she had shed it.

"I came here to let you know as a courtesy, Marcus. You wouldn't have known I was here had I not told you – I don't think you make it a habit to keep track of the crimes men commit in the heat of passion," she growled at him. "It's the middle of winter, and we both know that crime rates spike during human vacations. You would have remained clueless had I not come here first."

"You only came here to gather some supplies, Khloe, not out of any sense of loyalty. We both know that, so stop acting like the wronged party here," he finally let out, his irritation at her overpowering all his instincts that were telling him to act courteous towards his guests, even the uninvited ones.

"Oh, don't look so worried – you've heard about the true royal families' plan for Portland, its Grimm, and that upstart half-breed too. I won't be here for long – once that freak is out of my way, I can concentrate on taking my revenge."

Before Marcus could say another word, Khloe turned and started to walk out of the apartment. It was only when she reached the door that she paused and turned back to look at him.

"Besides, it's the season of giving Marcus, in case you haven't heard. And a new hunting ground is undoubtedly one of the best gifts I can give myself right now," she murmured, a dangerous smile curling up her face.

And with that, she walked out of his apartment, and he knew with a sickening burst of realisation that he life had just become more – _interesting_.

* * *

**A/N: Because this is the world of Grimm, after all...not everything can be light and fluffy!  
Besides, is it just me who got odd vibes from Khloe? She rather freaked me out, the way she was so calm when Renard questioned her - right until he woged, of course ;)  
I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	6. Black Cat, Black Cat

**This one's modified from a kink meme prompt:** _A cat has snuck in the 3rd Precinct. Efforts to relocate have proven futile. It's friendly and cuddly. Officers have taken it home, but it keeps coming back. It seems to like Captain Renard a lot. (It's a hexenbiest thing.)_

* * *

This wasn't healthy, Wu was well aware of the fact. If the Captain found out, there was no doubt that something very painful was going to be involved. But it was just so hilarious that he couldn't stop glancing at it, just to make sure that he wasn't imagining things.

"You realise that he'll kill you if he finds out your involvement in all of this? And it won't be painless or quick either," Nick commented as he walked in front of him, handing him a cup of coffee.

"Strangely enough, I don't find the thought of dying all that terrifying at the moment," Wu replied, accepting the caffeine gratefully. "Not after I've had the chance to witness – _that_," he said, nodding towards the Captain's office.

The chaos that was going on inside was obvious by the simple fact that the blinds hadn't been drawn, giving everyone an unobstructed view of what was happening. However, despite how interesting it was, most of the people in the Third Precinct averted their eyes as they walked by. Captain Renard's anger was not something anyone wanted brought down upon their heads.

Of course, as Nick very well knew, Sergeant Wu wasn't exactly known for self-preservation, at least not when their boss was involved. So he was more than happy to sneak constant quick glances inside, enjoying what was infinitely more interesting that any of his usual soaps.

"He will find out, you know," he said.

"I'm aware," Wu replied back, "But this is just too amusing for me to be sorry about."

Watching the usually stoic Captain chase behind a tiny, pure-black Bombay kitten, trying desperately to get his badge back – well, Wu was right, the sight was just too hilarious to pass up, even if it did mean certain death.

"I still don't understand it," Wu said after a few moments of enjoying the sights. "We all know how animals react to the Captain – hell; we need to keep the police dogs away every time he's on a crime scene to make sure they don't start attacking him instead of tracking whatever they need to. I was certain we'd have to do the same with her when I brought her in today morning…And then this? I mean, I know weird stuff has been happening in Portland lately, but this just boggles the mind."

"Let's just chalk it up to one more win for the gods of craziness?" Nick asked.

Wu nodded; completely unaware that Nick was struggling to control his sniggers. He had known that this would happen as soon as he had seen what Wu was carrying in his arms when he had entered the precinct that morning. After what had happened with Adalind's cat – well, he had done a bit more digging on the _Hexenbiester_.

So he was well aware of the strange fondness that the feline family had for the witch-like _wesen_. There had even been documented instances of _Hexenbiester_ in Africa forming friendships with wild lion. And even though the males of the species weren't as involved in witchcraft as the more well-known females, it was a trait that was found in _Zauberbiester_ as well.

The Captain might only have been half-_Zauberbiest_, but Nick had been sure that it would have made no difference to the little kitten Wu had brought into the precinct to shield it from the cold. It was rather obvious that he had been right.

"Nick!"

"Go talk to your partner, Burkhardt, I don't think he can survive for more than a half hour without you," Wu snarked at the sound of Hank's voice.

As he walked away, taking one last glance at the scene in Renard's office, he couldn't hold back his sniggers any longer. Monroe and Rosalee weren't going to believe him when he told them about this, which meant he could do only one thing.

Pet Grimm or not, Renard would murder him when he found out – and he _would_ find out, he was the Captain after all – that Nick had hacked into the surveillance in the building and downloaded a copy of the events that were currently taking place in his office, that much he knew. He just hoped the Monroe and Rosalee would appreciate the trouble he was going through to get them the best early-Christmas gift ever.

After all, he doubted there could be anything more amusing than watching the big bad Captain Sean Renard, the half-royal who struck more fear into Portland's _wesen_ community than he did, finally meet his match.

* * *

**A/N: I just couldn't resist the thought...  
As for the _Hexenbiest_-cat thing, I'm going to go with it's a residue of the 'black cats are used in witchcraft' thing. The _Hexenbiest_ protected the cats because they were useful, and the cats developed a liking for anyone with any sort of _Hexenbiest_ DNA.  
Anyhow. I hope you guys liked this! And as always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	7. Paperwork

**Another one inspired by the kink meme, for the following prompt:** _When Renard finds out what Hank and Nick had to do to help Nick get back his vision, he's glad that Nick's okay, of course. But how the hell is he gonna explain that one in the report?_

* * *

Staring at the sheets of paper lying strewn across his desk, Captain Sean Renard of the Portland PD let out a loud groan, fighting off the desire to bury his face in his hands in defeat.

There were a lot of things he hated about the end of the year. The holidays were a large part – it seemed the truly insane ones loved to come out during what was supposed to be the merriest time of year – but that was far from the only reason. Had that been the case, he would just have shelved winter along with all the other holidays that seemed to attract the worst offenders, Halloween definitely the worst among the rest.

No, there was also the little matter of paperwork.

He might have been the undisputed ruler of Portland, member of one of the seven royal houses (even if the houses themselves would happily have disowned them if they could), but that was only in his _wesen_ life. And no matter how many times that life crossed over with his job in the Portland PD, the fact remained that the life of a cop was his human life.

And in his human life, he had things like seniors and bosses to deal with, the kind that he was pretty sure his whole department thought didn't exist.

Sure, most times, manipulating them into doing what he wanted was child's play. Any royal child of the age of five could make them do his bidding, all the while letting them think that it was their idea all along. Unfortunately for him, paperwork was what the government ran on, and there was no way he could manipulate his way out of it – a fact he knew well enough that he never tried.

This winter was worse than the others. Ever since Burkhardt had become aware of his ancestry, it was like the _wesen_ community seemed intent on involving themselves with matters than sent them on a collision course with the law. What was worse, it usually happened within the jurisdiction of the Third Precinct, which meant that his detectives got involved, and the paperwork landed on his desk.

He liked to think that he had gotten rather creative in thinking up stories to hide the truth behind the nature of _wesen_ related crimes, but occasionally, there were the ones that stumped even him.

And the piece of paper in front of him, with its reference to case that he would have loved to see completely forgotten, was perhaps the most difficult problem he had ever faced.

He wasn't interested in seeing Nick permanently crippled – that would affect his duties as Grimm a bit too much, and make his efforts to patrol the _wesen_ of Portland even more difficult – but honestly, this exceeded all boundaries. They had had a deal, damn it, a deal to make sure that _wesen_ who had to be dealt with by Nick weren't killed in a way that was too difficult to explain. He was sure that they could have managed the situation without creating this big of a mess – in fact, he wouldn't be surprised if they had chosen the route they did just to create more problem for him.

And then, there was this.

Not for the first time, Sean Renard cursed his brother. He had no doubt that Eric had had a hand in that – there was no other way that one of them could have travelled so far, all the way to the United States and Portland. Even dead, his brother still found ways to make Sean's life nigh unbearable.

After a few hours staring at that same, mocking sheet of paper, Renard finally gave up.

He got up and moved around his desk, opening the door to his office just enough so that he could poke his head out of it. "Burkhardt! Griffin!" he called.

They were the ones who had decided to rip off a _Jinnamuru Xunte's_ eye, which meant that they were the ones who got to come up with a plausible, non-supernatural way to explain it in his paperwork.

He would just call it an early Christmas present from two of his best detectives – which, regardless of how much trouble they often caused him, they were.

* * *

**A/N: Because, let's face it - no one's brave enough to ask Renard for paperwork more than once a year, and he definitely doesn't have the time to do it more often than that.  
****Anyhow, I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)**


	8. Hello, Family

"Yes, Ma, I promise I'll be fine!" Monroe exclaimed, forcing himself not to start screaming at his mother. "I appreciate the concern," he continued, voice softening slightly, "But I promise you, Ma, I'm perfectly fine here. It's probably best I don't come to the reunion anyway."

He waited for a few moments, listening to his mother chatter away about his life choices on the other side before he sighed. Cutting into what he was certain was going to be another lecture about his decision to turn _wieder_, he said, "You promised me you wouldn't start on this topic again, Ma!"

Another sigh. "I love you too, Ma," he said gently after a few seconds of listening to his mother sound contrite. It was all an act, of course – his family very much believed in the traditional way of doing things, and his lifestyle choices were anything but – but he knew she loved him, and besides, it was just easier to be the one keeping the peace instead of letting her draw him into another argument.

"I'll see you soon, Ma, I promise," he continued. "Yes, I love you, and feel free to give everyone my love," he finished before setting the phone down.

As soon as the call had been disconnected, he sat down heavily on the nearby sofa. "Finally!" he exclaimed with no small amount of relief.

"You know, you could just give her actual reasons backing your decision to stay in Portland," Rosalee commented, poking her head out of the kitchen, a wide smirk on her face as she took in Monroe's annoyed expression.

"Sure, as soon as you pick up the phone to tell your mother at the same time," he replied.

"Good point," Rosalee replied quickly. Her family might not have been as insane as his was, but it still wasn't going to be easy, letting them know that the two of them were in a relationship.

A relationship between two different _wesen_ species wasn't something that was unheard of. Over the years, there had even been reports of the unlikeliest couples – a _mauzhertz_ and a _lausenschlange_ were undoubtedly the most memorable – but both the _blutbaden_ and the _fuchsbau_ were rather secluded communities. Had only one of them been in a relationship with another _wesen_, it would have been surprising. The two of them together was unheard of.

All of that, of course, meant that facing the families was going to be an uphill battle.

"Our families are going to go crazy enough finding out that we're not exactly dating members of the same species, and then there's everything with Nick…It's just best to let my mother live with what she knows at the moment," he explained, not sure why he was going into details that Rosalee knew as well as he did, but wanting to explain himself nonetheless.

"You don't have to explain things to me," Rosalee said. "The fact that my family have close ties to the _laufer_ does not mean that they're too thrilled about Grimms – in fact, they view them as just a level higher than the _verrat_. And that's after they know about Nick's existence, if not the fact that I help him out whenever possible."

"Yeah, but at least your mother doesn't spend hours telling you how coming home will do wonders for you and your misguided decision to turn _wieder_," Monroe burst out. He hadn't planned on unloading his frustrations, but the talk about their families combined with his mother's phone-call meant that he couldn't stop himself.

"Even if this get-together didn't involve hunting humans – and I seriously doubt that, considering we're talking about my family here – I would still have to deal with my mother trying to get me to eat whatever bird she's cooked this year," he continued. "Honestly, if she just accepted that I'm not planning on returning home for Christmas anytime soon, I'd have a much lower blood pressure level than I do at the moment."

"So, I'll get the tofurkery then?" Rosalee asked innocently once Monroe was done with his rant. She knew the _blutbad_ better than anyone else – considering the state he was in at the moment, the only way to calm him down was to take his mind off whatever had annoyed him, preferably by being more annoying herself.

Rosalee's laughter as she left for the spice shop rang in ears long after he had stopped scowling at her comment.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	9. Robin Hood

"Why are we even looking into this?" Nick asked curiously. "I mean, this isn't exactly a crime – hell, it's the exact opposite of a crime."

"I don't even understand people sometimes," Wu replied, shaking his head in disgust as he took in their latest case. "Last I checked, we're supposed to be homicide, and they put the two of you – and by extension, me – on this? It's not like we're overstaffed or there aren't any murders waiting to be staffed." Before Nick could reply, he walked off to talk to one of the- witnesses? Victims? Nick wasn't really sure what to call them – all he knew was that Wu was still muttering angrily as he disappeared.

"While I'm not usually one to say these words, I have to admit I agree with Wu," Hank said from behind Nick. He cast a doubtful eye on the- well, calling it a crime scene wasn't exactly appropriate. "Why on earth would the brass think that we should be the ones investigating this? In fact, why did they think it should be investigated at all?"

"I don't know, maybe it's their twisted idea of a day off?" Nick suggested. "If we were white collar, this would at least make sense – just about every homeless person they spoke to has found twenty-five dollars in whatever footwear they own. That does sound a bit suspicious, but it really has nothing to do with homicide."

"Exactly!" Hank exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air as though that would help explain their orders a bit better. "There aren't any bodies around, now are there?"

And just like Wu, he stalked off to talk to nearest person, muttering under his breath, sounding irritated at the world in general.

Nick watched his disappearing back with a grin on his face. He very much doubted that either Hank or Wu would be particularly pleased with being called similar. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if they decided to team up to get back at him. For all that they were colleagues and friends, they prided themselves on being as different from each other as it was possible to be.

It was then that he heard the sound. It was too soft for anyone else to hear – hell, had this case come their way before his meeting with that _Jinnamuru Xunte_, he doubted he would have been able to either. But his enhanced senses were now extremely useful to his job.

A quick glance around the area told him that everyone else was busy with other things, mainly interviewing some of the affected members of the homeless community. That left only him – but with his extra training thanks to Monroe, he doubted that there would be a problem.

After all, even if a _wesen_ was involved, it probably wasn't very antagonistic, given the nature of the incidents.

Carefully trailing the source of the noise, he followed it into an out-of-the-way alley, maybe five minutes or so from where Hank, Wu and the others were. It was there that he noticed a young man, who couldn't have been more than twenty-five, bending down to slip something into what looked to be a pair of tattered shoes.

Before he could say anything, he noticed the transformation of the man's face, something he would never get used – it was one thing knowing what a person was going to _woge_ into, but when confronted by a new _wesen_ altogether, his mind tended to revert back to shock and horror he had felt when he had seen that first _Hexenbiest_.

In woge, the boy's ears had lengthened, his face becoming more angular, and loathe as Nick was to think it, beautiful. Before he could move out of his momentary shock, the nimbly ran off, vanishing before Nick even had the time to blink.

He groaned. Suddenly, he knew why he and Hank had been assigned this case – it was a _wesen_ related one.

Hank was not going to be happy.

* * *

"Wait, describe him again," Rosalee said, grabbing the platter of vegetables from Juliette. "I think I know what you saw."

Nick complied in between bites of food. The five of them – Monroe, Rosalee, Juliette, Hank and him – were at Monroe and Rosalee's house for dinner, something that seemed to have become a tradition for them every time Hank and he had to deal with a _wesen_ related case.

"From what you're describing, I think you might have seen a _Ljósálfr_," Rosalee said after Nick had finished his description. "Light elves from Viking mythology," she continued to explain, "They're often seen to be the basis for Sinterklaas – that's Santa Claus in the Low Countries, you know, the Netherlands, Belgium, parts of Germany and the like. Anyways, there's a feast celebrating Sinteklaas, and tradition has it that people put money in the shoes of the needy to help them out during the holidays. That's what evolved to putting gifts in the shoes of children for Christmas – which is another long story, trust me," she said.

For a few moments, there was silence as Rosalee concentrated on her meal. "Anyway, the point of this is that the light elves are the basis for the story," she continued. "Unlike the story, they tend to spread the wealth all throughout the winter, travelling from place to place to do it. They're rare, almost as rare _Glühenvolk_, so I'm surprised you actually managed to see one."

"That is…actually very interesting," Hank commented after a few moments of stunned silence. Rosalee blushed under the surprised looks that everyone was throwing her.

"My dad used to read me stories when I was a kid," she explained. "He'd tell me about all these _wesen_ that barely anyone knew about, and I used to love them. It was like a secret. Seems I've retained some of it after all."

"So, what are you two going to do about it?" Juliette asked suddenly, turning to look at Hank and Nick.

"No clue," Nick admitted. "I don't suppose you know how these _Ljósálfar_ finance their operations, do you?" he asked, directing his question to Rosalee.

"Well, legend has it that they're patronised by Freyr, who's the Norse go of fertility, and he's who they get the money from…so basically, no."

"So what you've got is a case that cannot be solved," Monroe commented. "Well, not unless you want to try and reveal the _wesen_ world to the public, in which case you'll probably be sent to the asylum…"

Hank and Nick glanced at each other. They had been partners long enough that they could almost read each other's minds when it came to cases, and Monroe was right. Of course, there was also that other thing that had happened a few days ago…

"We'll let the Captain handle it," Nick said triumphantly. "I'm sure he's been expecting it ever since the incident with the paperwork, so he's not going to be surprised."

"Besides, he shouldn't have assigned it to us in the first place," Hank grumbled. "I'll call it a silent protest."

As Monroe gaped at their decision – challenging the Prince of Portland wasn't something he could get his head around, even if he had dealt with him during the treatment for him and Juliette – and Juliette and Rosalee laughed at their decision, Nick and Hank both smirked mischievously. The next day was undoubtedly going to be…entertaining, to say the least.

* * *

**So...the bit about Sinterklaas basically being a way to help the poor is taken from Wikipedia - I happened to come across it, and really couldn't help but twisting it to suit the purposes of Grimm.  
The Ljósálfar are Norse light-elves - I chose them because a) they're from the same part of the world as Sinterklaas and b) common relationship between Santa and elves in popular culture. Plus I couldn't figure out how to describe a "Santa woge" :P  
**

**Also, the bit about getting back at Renard is a reference to 'Paperwork' (Chap 7) of this collection.  
**

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)**


	10. The Teenage Wesen Network

**For general zargon, who mentioned something with Hanson and Gracie in it.**

* * *

"I'm still not sure we can trust this guy," the redhead muttered, looking at the home in front of them.

"Nick was the one who recommended him, Hanson. He said that this Monroe person would explain everything, and I really want to know what was going on!" his sister exclaimed in reply.

"Gracie, he's a complete stranger!"

"He's Nick's friend," she shot back in a tone that said her words said everything that needed to be said. "Besides, if nothing else, he promised us that there would be a full lunch and other kids there. Plus it's a place where we can get out of the cold. It'll be _fun_, Hanson!"

Hanson gave his sister a sideways look. The way she was fiddling with the puca shell necklace around her neck told him that she was much more nervous than she was pretending to be – but at the same time, she did want to attend this meet up that Nick had arranged.

"Alright," he finally sighed in defeat. "But don't expect me to trust any of them."

"I won't," Gracie replied. The excited look on her face just told him that everything he had just said had basically flown over her head.

* * *

"I cannot believe it!" Gracie gaped, looking at the tall girl she was talking to with something akin to hero worship. "With your _hair_? How did you even manage that?"

Holly laughed. "It started out as a way to hunt," she explained. "It meant that I didn't have to deal with any potentially dangerous creatures face to face, especially since I knew nothing about my abilities then."

That was the part that Gracie had found most difficult to believe – she had seen Monroe, and Holly, and the other two boys, Barry and Roddy, change form, but it was still unbelievable. And then to be told that the people who had killed Steven and had nearly killed Hanson and her weren't human – well, weren't human in more than the metaphorical sense – was more than a little overwhelming.

And to hear the stories of the others present at the house on top of everything – well, at least Hanson wouldn't question Nick's motives for sending them here again.

Still, despite how interesting Barry and Roddy were, it was Holly who held her attention. She had heard about her story, of course – anyone who had ever come near the vicinity of a newspaper or a television had. Holly Clark, the girl who had turned up sane and _normal_ even after nearly a decade alone in the forest. And knowing what she did now didn't make the story any less inspiring – it wasn't like Holly had known who she was when she was abandoned, after all.

She was sure Hanson would have something to complain about once they left, but she regretted nothing. This had definitely been one of the better experiences of her life, and she fully intended to convince Holly to teach her self-defence. Being able to attack people with her hair – well, that sounded like one of the best things ever.

* * *

"You know, you could tell us if we're boring you," an amused voice said, cutting through Hanson's thoughts.

He had the strongest sense that the other two boys – Barry and Roddy, they'd said their names were – were laughing at them.

"It's not that," he rushed to reassure them. "It's just my sister."

At that, the two of them looked even more amused. It was enough to irritate anybody.

He hadn't been as shocked as Gracie had at Monroe's explanation. Even though he had been drugged, he could still remember faint bits from their kidnapping, and by far the strongest memory had been of a vulture-like creature with a human body, looming over him.

Truth be told, he was just happy to have an explanation for everything. He even liked Barry and Roddy – for all that Barry seemed to be another spoiled kid, he had his own issues. And the only that was different between him and Roddy was the fact that the other boy had a father and happened to be a musical prodigy.

Holly Clark, on the other hand…

"You should just leave the two of them alone," Barry said, sounding as amused as before. "Your sister doesn't seem to be the type whose going to stop talking to someone just because you have a feeling, and as for Holly – well, she definitely doesn't leave hold of people she considers friends."

"Besides, they're both girls," Roddy chimed in. "Unless you plan on keeping your sister from any sort of female friendship at all, I don't think you're going to feel any better any time soon."

Hanson scowled at the laughter he could hear in their voices. It had nothing to do with Holly being a girl – but he knew his sister, and the look on her face said that whatever they talking about meant trouble for him. Considering where the – _blutbad_, he thought Monroe had called them – had spent most of her childhood, he had a very bad feeling that it had something to do with his sister and fighting.

As much as he liked having answers, and could grow to be friends with Roddy and Barry – well, the look on his sister's face proved him right.

It really _had_ been a bad idea to agree to this.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	11. The Diary of Holidays

**A/N: So this one is set just after 'The Twelve Days of Krampus,' just about immediately after Nick writes his entry on Krampus.**

* * *

_Of_ the many things I have found that the holiday season brings – the discovery of new _wesen_ not least among them – I can safely attest that some of the best come from observing the behaviour of certain species as Christmas approaches. At the very least, they allow for laughter in a time when the reappearance of legendary foes such as Krampus makes it hard to find.

_Among_ the _wesen_ that I find myself lucky enough to consider friends, it is perhaps Monroe, the _wieder blutbad_ who was the first of the _wesen_ to befriend me, who has revealed to me the most, if unknowingly.

_As_ I have already documented, the world of the _wesen_ has opened up to me many strange and unbelievable things, but for the most part, it seems Christmas with _wesen_ is spared this fate. Bud Wurstner and his family, all _eisbieber_, have welcomed me into their family like one of their own. The world of the beavers is clannish and connected in ways that I will never be able to understand, and spending the holidays with them is not unlike the one I spent with Hank, during what would be the last year of his last marriage. Perhaps it was a touch more cloistering, what with the _eisbieber_ having decided that they owe me a great debt after the business with the _hässlichen_, but it was nice all the same, with nothing truly out of the ordinary.

_Would_ that I could say that for all my dealings with _wesen_ and Christmas. Monroe is perhaps the most enthusiastic celebrant of the festival that I have across until now. For all that he is neither Christian nor a believer in God, he is a believer in the spirit of Christmas, and for weeks before the festival, it is impossible to walk into his home without being overwhelmed by every shade of red and green imaginable. The tinsel and the glitter only serve to make it worse.

_Yet_ even more stranger than the tale of the _wieder blutbad's_ Christmas is that which he told me last year, which I am only now getting a chance to pen down. All that I have seen as a Grimm has taught me one thing – that predatory _wesen_, no matter how friendly they are, are not to be taken lightly. Monroe might be _wieder_, but he is still a formidable fighter, easily holding his own against others who have trained for years.

_So_ the story that Monroe shared with me last year was one I found hard to believe. It is one that I would have still had trouble believing, had I not encountered one of the members of the community that Monroe spoke of in my search for Krampus.

_Of_ all the things I have learnt, indeed counting even the revelation of the world of Grimm and _wesen_, this is perhaps the most unbelievable. For all that I consider Monroe to be as close a friend as possible, the thought of him dressed up as Santa Claus is hilarious. The thought of there being a club – a club – for predatory _wesen_ who do the same?

_Well_, I suppose I will have a good excuse for accepting the whiskey I know Hank will want to share after the time we have had tonight.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it, even though this was slightly different.  
As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)  
**


	12. The Truth Is Relative

Lieutenant James Wilson stared at the two men in front of him doubtfully. "Are you two certain that you aren't hiding something?" he asked suspiciously.

"Of course we are," Detective Burkhardt replied readily – a little _too_ readily, his mind prompted – looking for all the world the paragon of trustworthiness. "Besides," he added, "Why would we lie?"

He had a good point, but still – something didn't sit right, and he knew better than to ignore nearly two and a half decades of police experience. "So you just happened to get an anonymous tip – on your _personal cell phone_ – telling you where the kidnapped children were? Two of whom hadn't even been formally declared missing?" he asked sceptically.

Detective Griffin looked rather put out. "Of course that's what happened," he said. "How else could we have come across them in the middle of the woods?" he demanded.

"And what about the man you brought in immediately after you found the children?" he continued to probe relentlessly. "What was his name? Vincent something or the other, right? What about him? Why did you let him go?"

"He was one of the Santas we thought could be of interest," Burkhardt replied, shrugging. "But he didn't match the descriptions the children gave, and he definitely didn't have any sort of mask with ram's horns on him. We didn't have any evidence connecting him to the kidnappings at all – we had to let him go."

Wilson continued to stare at them. There wasn't anything that they were saying that he could refute, but still – "I don't believe the two of you," he told them flatly.

"That's your prerogative," Griffin replied, sounding just a bit too unconcerned. "But I can guarantee that it's the truth."

A glance at Brurkhardt told him that he was similarly unperturbed. "Lieutenant, we have no cause to keep anything from you," he said, his tone much more conciliatory than his partner's.

He sighed. "I will still be letting the Captain know about the – _other_ incident with that Santa, though," he warned him.

"Of course," Burkhardt murmured, dragging Griffin behind him as he walked away.

Wilson looked at the two retreating figures suspiciously. When Captain Renard had asked him to take over the precinct while he went to visit his family in Austria, he was sure that it would have been easy. After all, the very detectives who he had just dismissed had one of the highest solve rates in the city – he wouldn't be surprised if it had been one of the highest in the _state_.

And then this.

Honestly, there was a part of him that didn't even _want_ to know. After all, those two did seem to be constantly involved in rather – well, _odd_ cases.

Really, he would be rather thrilled when Renard got back. Burkhardt, Griffin, even Wu – he would be more than happy to see the end of them and return back to normal, _predictable_ police work. The lot of them were just a bit more than he could handle.

* * *

**A/N: I swear, this was supposed to mainly focusing on the minor characters. Hell, I wanted to put in a piece about Barry/Roddy or something here. But then I saw the new episodes, and they just gave me these _ideas_...This show really needs to stop getting constantly more interesting, especially with creatures.  
Also, the gods of Wikipedia have informed me that Lieutenant is the direct rank below Captain in US Police Departments in general and Portland Police Bureau in particular, so I just brought in a random Lieutenant OC to try and deal with the mess that knowing Nick results in...  
**

**As always, please don't forget to review on your way out :)**


	13. Gifts and Babbling

"Me, Shirley! Can you believe it? I actually saw Krampus tonight and lived! And I got to see Nick fight him and win, which was like something out of an action movie! I mean, sure, I was terrified the whole time, but it was still all so surreal and brilliant! I still can't believe I got to see all that!"

Shirley Wurstner smiled patiently as she watched her husband nearly dance around the house in excitement. He had been as calm as possible once he had gotten home from saving Quinn and those other poor children, and had checked up on their own brood in their beds – and then he had allowed what she called his inner fan-boy to finally come out like she knew he had been waiting to.

"And then Nick was fighting him, and it seemed like Krampus was going to win, and I was really worried there for a moment. But then Monroe _woged_ and jumped on him so fast that I didn't even notice it happening, and then Nick and Hank were pointing their _guns_ at him. And then, if you can believe it, I actually saw Krampus _woge_ back to his human form when it turned midnight!" Bud exclaimed as he continued to babble.

Shirley Wurstner was an eminently sensible _eisbieber_. When she was satisfied that the Grimm was _not,_ in fact, a danger to her family, she was more than happy to deal with him calmly whenever she had to. Her Bud, on the other hand, wasn't like her, she knew that.

Honestly, she was rather glad that he had tagged along with Nick on this case. At least he had Hank and Monroe along with him to make sure Bud didn't get into too much trouble. Because she had always known that Bud would eventually get pulled too deep into one of Nick's Grimm cases, and she had worried. It had become even worse after that awful case with the _ziegevolk_ lawyer where Bud had been right in the middle with no one to help.

"And then it turned out that Krampus didn't even _know_ he was _wesen_ and Krampus at that, so Monroe just went home and Hank and Nick took him to the police station to try and figure out what was going on!"

"The poor man," she finally murmured. "Do you know what's going to happen to him?"

As Bud started babbling once again, this time about how it had happened before and about the _wesen_ council, she allowed herself two contrasting thoughts.

One was to thank all the stars possible that that horrible creature – the _wesen_, not the man – hadn't targeted any of her children, who tended to run wild as the holidays approached. The other was far more pragmatic, as she started to think of more ways to insert herself into the conversation. Bud was always apologetic when he spent too much time talking about his favourite topic – Nick and how different he was from other Grimms – and it was always worse when she took part in the discussion. He always did worry that he was wasting her time going on and on.

But today it would serve her well. After all, they were going shopping for Christmas presents tomorrow, both for the children and people they knew, like other _eibiber_ and Nick and his team. She would need Bud's desire to fulfill all of her wishes as far as possible.

* * *

**A/N: Because really, someone as excitable as Bud would have a hard time surviving in the big bad _wesen_ world if he didn't have someone sensible to look after him.  
I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)  
**


	14. Chain E-Mails are Good for Something

_Click._

* * *

_To_ the _wesen_ of Portland,

_As_ most of you might know, winter is now upon us, and Christmas is fast approaching. That means that it is the one time in the year that all _wesen_ have agreed to a truce. So this is your friendly neighbourhood reminder – _mauzhertz_ and _lausenschlange_, _blutbad_ and _bauerschwine_, do remember to stay away from each other. We don't want any conflicts this time of the year, do we?

_Besides_, I'm sure we can all agree that we have other things to worry about this year apart from our traditional rivalries.

_As_ I am sure almost all of you are aware by, in the past year, we seem to have acquired a Grimm in our city. Not even I know of his identity – the only ones who do know him are the ones who have had direct contact with him, and they are understandably quite reluctant to let others know who he is. But they have agreed to act as our intermediaries.

_And_ so, we now have what seems to be a truly insurmountable problem on our hands, and I would truly welcome suggestions that could help.

_What_ are we supposed to gift the Grimm with for Christmas to thank him for not killing us?

_Jenny Whitfield, __Luisant-Pêcheur,__ President, Portland Wesen-Human Alliance_

* * *

Monroe smirked, making sure that he saved that particular e-mail. He usually stayed as far away from that group as he could – no matter what good they had done in brokering the occasional peace deals, they were still just too much of do-gooders for his inner _blutbad's_ peace of mind.

But this – this e-mail he would keep, if only to make sure it's object got to see it. And, of course, he would make sure that Whitfield knew who else had seen her e-mail – maybe it would finally stop her from annoying him about joining them.

He couldn't _wait_ to see Nick's face.

* * *

**A/N: A Luisant-Pêcheur is an otter like wesen - Khloe, the Musai's, boyfriend was one of those. You know, the one in jail.  
Also, this one is because Monroe, for all his civility, is still very much a true blutbad at heart, thank you very much.  
general zargon: About the gator like creatures: I would very much like to use them. But, like with Le Cucuy, I don't know how I can fit them into a Christmas collection, especially since most of them are dead. But don't hold me to that - my mind is an odd place sometimes. I do have a faint idea for Robin, though, so hopefully that one will make it.**

**As always, I hope you guys liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	15. Whistles

It had been a good day, all in all. To be fair, one Eddie Monroe, _blutbad_ and oftentimes reluctant helped to Grimm Nicholas Burkhardt (especially when said Grimm had stumbled upon _another_ madcap scheme that he was always sure would work) counted any day he wasn't being nearly killed by the _wesen_ of the week a good day, but still. This one had been better than most.

After all, when you're a police detective slash Grimm's faithful _wesen_ companion, you rarely have a day completely free of any thing that doesn't involve a few violent crimes or the _wesen_ community in an uproar about something new. And Monroe had even got to work on a few gorgeous clocks today, so yes. It was a good day.

So when he returned home and noticed the oddly shaped package on the table in his living, he did _not_ immediately think it was something dangerous. Instead…

"Rosalee?" he called. She had said that she was going to be home, after all. "Do you what the thing on the table is?"

"Nick dropped it off," she called back in reply. His guess was that she was in the kitchen, but he couldn't be too sure. "He said it was an early Christmas gift for you."

"Thanks!"

Huh. It was nice of Nick to drop off an early gift for him. Maybe he had finally started to value Monroe's constant insights into _wesen_ culture instead of just turning up for dinner when he wanted to. Curious, he reached out towards the gaily wrapped gift and started to carefully peel at the edges.

He was sure that whatever was inside would be brilliant.

Of course, he should have known better. It was Nick he was thinking about, after all.

Aesthetically, it was admittedly beautiful. It was made of fine silver, and shone brightly under Monroe's Christmas lights. The craftsmanship was obviously excellent, and it was definitely hand-made, and had probably cost Nick a pretty penny.

However, Monroe didn't notice any of that – he was too busy scowling at the item resting in his hands.

"Monroe? So, what did Nick give you after all?" That was Rosalee, drawn in by her own curiosity.

And then she noticed the dog-whistle that Monroe was holding, and lost it completely.

As he watched his girlfriend sink to the ground, shaking in uncontrollable laughter, Eddie Monroe, _blutbad_ extraordinaire, started to scheme. There was absolutely no way he was going to let Nicholas Burkhardt, soon-to-be-dead Grimm, get away with this.

* * *

**A/N: Because, you know, my mind is an odd place. Also there's the fact that Nick would so totally do this it isn't even funny. Of course, Hank's probably behind it all, so yeah :P  
Also, Monroe is adorably grumpy because that's his default setting.  
As always, I hope you liked it! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :) **


	16. The Sheer Annoyance of E-Mail Groups

**A/N: This one's a follow-up to Chapter 14, both of which are set in Season 1, sometime after 'Leave it to Beavers'**

* * *

The phone call came from out of the blue.

Usually it was the other way around. It was Nick who was dropping in on Monroe, not the other way around – so, really, he was justified in being a bit suspicious. And then there was the fact that he had _heard_ the smirk in the _blutbad's_ voice when he mentioned that a package with Nick's name on it had been dropped off at his house.

Which, of course, meant that there was really only one thing he could do. It was just lucky that he didn't have a case, only some paperwork to complete at the moment.

"Hey, Hank?"

"Yeah?"

"Something's come up. Can you cover for me?"

"You owe for this," was his partner's predictable reply. "Next case, you're doing all the paperwork."

"Done."

* * *

He had been right. When he pulled up to the house, Monroe _was_ smirking at him, too happy for Nick to be at all comfortable.

"Why are packages for me coming to your house?" was the first thing he asked, perhaps a bit snappishly. But considering the apocalypse he was sure was coming, Nick thought he was justified.

The smirk only widened further at the Nick's question.

"I've been told that you should be made to read this first before you can open the package," was his only reply, and Nick wanted to gnash his teeth at the mystery in Monroe's voice.

And then the _blutbad_ handed him a bright Christmas card, and for some reason, the pit of dread in his stomach only grew.

_Dear Mr Grimm_, it read – and wasn't that a start that spoke of bad things to come?

* * *

_We_ spoke to Monroe, who we have learned is well acquainted with you, and he pointed us towards something he felt might be appropriate for you.

_It_ is a little token of appreciation from us, the wesen of Portland, for the fine work you do in catching those of us who go rogue. And for leaving the rest of us in peace.

_We_ do hope that you do not decide to turn our gift on us.

_We_ hope you have a Merry Christmas!

_Jenny Whitfield, __Luisant-Pêcheur,__ President, Portland Wesen-Human Alliance_

* * *

Nick looked up, staring wide-eyed in shock at the laughing wolf in front of him. "What did you tell them exactly?" he growled. "I thought I asked you to let them know that I didn't need anything!"

At that, Monroe controlled his laughter, fixing Nick with a knowing stare. "Yeah, and that went over so well with the _eisbieber_," he remarked.

Nick sighed. He supposed Monroe had a point, but still…And then the rest of the card struck him.

"What exactly did they get me?" he asked, the slightest hint of panic starting to bleed through.

"Well, I suggested the traditional stuff – you know, food, warm clothes and all – but the _eisbieber_ Lodge made it very clear that they had monopoly on that, so there was really only one thing left for me to say," Monroe commented as they walked into the house.

That…sounded ominous.

"What did you do, Monroe?" Nick exclaimed, slight panic slowly becoming full blown.

"Nothing at all," Monroe grinned, pulling out a long, thin, brightly wrapped package from behind his couch.

Giving him a suspicious look, Nick tore at the gift to find-

"A katana!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "A _katana_?"

"16th century work, very good and very pricey. Apparently the _wesen_ who are terrified of you aren't just limited to the dredges of society. Who would have thought?" Monroe commented blithely, acting as though hadn't noticed Nick's murderous stare.

"Monroe-"

"You're a Grimm, Nick. If you can't have baked goods and knitted things, a weapon is the next best idea. Besides, think of this as a matter of faith – the _wesen_ are handing you something that you can use to behead them, but they're trusting that you won't. You should be happy about this!"

Nick glared at him once again, but it was obvious it was not going to do any good. And if Bud and the other _eisbieber_ were any indication, returning this would only mean a bunch of terrified _wesen_ trying to find something better to gift him with.

"At least it will be useful," he muttered in defeat.

* * *

**A/N: Also known as the one in which I couldn't get Peya Luna's comment about the card/gift out of my head.  
The gift I blame on the fact that I really couldn't think of anything else a wesen would give Nick, and the fact that I would very much like to see him in a sword fight. That is all. That is my justification.  
Also, my random headcanon says the dog whistle of Chap 15 is Nick's way of getting back at Monroe. It's not his fault it took him nearly two years to do so :P  
**

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your out :)**


	17. Alone

**A/N: Episode tag to 2.13, 'The Other Side'**

* * *

It would be her first Christmas without him.

Emmeline Higgins had always loved her son more than anything else in world. After she had lost Robert while she was still pregnant, Pierce had been the only thing that had kept her alive. And she had sworn that she wouldn't lose him too.

She could remember seeing Robert's dead body and knowing – knowing – that it was bounty hunters who had done that. Not a Grimm, but a wesen. Genio innocuo were not known for fighting back, and where the Grimms had left off, the hunters had almost completely finished driving them to extinction.

And the child she carried would be under the same threat.

It was then that she had sworn that he would not suffer the same way. Even then, she had been well-known in the field of genetics research, and altering her son's genes had not been difficult. If he had the aggressiveness of a löwen, she would not have to suffer seeing him dead on a slab too.

She should have known, but she had blinded herself. She had only transferred the aggression, not the genes needed to control it.

And now, here she was.

The house was as perfectly decorated as it had been every year since she had bought it, when Pierce was two. The Christmas tree twinkled merrily, full of lights and other decorations, many of them hand-made by her son. The angel on top was one that she and Pierce had spent hours looking for, one wintery Christmas when she was in Russia to give a lecture.

There was, in short, nothing different in the house from last year.

Except, of course, for the one glaring fact that she could not ignore, no matter how much she tried and wished.

Pierce wouldn't be running over to wake her for Christmas, still excited even though he was far from a little a child. Pierce wouldn't be here at all, because he was in prison, all for a mistake that she had made.

She sighed and reached out to switch off the lights. It was late, and she had to be at the prison early tomorrow.

Besides, she had no right to dwell on what she had lost. Not when she had pushed her son on that track even before he was born.

It was all her fault, after all.

* * *

**A/N: Because not everything in the Grimm world is sunshine and daisies. But I do have a funny one (I hope) coming up soon, along with a more romantic one, so I hope this doesn't turn you off expecting some more happiness :)  
**

**Peya Luna: The reason I chose to go with a katana is because I'm guessing he already has a Germanic broadsword in his weapons cabinet - it's pretty obvious that a good chunk of his stuff is ancient, and considering his extensive Germanic background, I guessed a katana would be something he didn't have.**

**I hope you guys liked this, and, as always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	18. Springing Surprises

In hindsight, she supposed the fact that it had only started after Nick had clued her in to everything was something to be thankful for.

* * *

There was barely over a week left for Christmas, which meant that Juliette was swamped with work. For some reason, festivals and holidays usually meant a spike in the number of patients that veterinary clinic received – it seemed animal accidents and festivities went hand in hand.

So when they brought in a raccoon that had been run over by a car, she didn't think much about it. Thankfully, the poor creature wasn't badly injured, and it didn't take her too long to patch it up.

Then it turned into a human woman who promptly ran out the door, which really only merited one reaction.

"NICK!"

Thankfully, once he heard her story, Nick was rather forgiving about the way she turned up at the precinct, screaming her lungs out at him. After all, animals turning into humans wasn't something even she, who knew about the _wesen_ world, was particularly ready for.

* * *

"I must have forgotten to tell you," was his apology as he explained. "_Wesen_ don't only _woge_, they also have the ability to actually shapeshift into their animal, though I've only actually seen it happen once."

"Nick," she sighed in reply.

"I know, I know! But I guess that whoever the _waschbar_ you saw was, she didn't have time to turn back into human before someone noticed she was injured and brought her to you. I can't help it!"

"And how many times is this going to happen again?" she asked, arching an eyebrow at her ex-boyfriend slash best friend.

He shuffled his feet on the floor, looking sheepish. "I have no idea," he muttered in reply.

Another sigh. She had dreaded as much – but there was still a question that hounding her. "Why did she change back in front of me?" she asked curiously. "I mean, I could guess that it had something to do with the _wesen_, but I doubt any other vet would have realised that."

Nick looked even more sheepish at the question. "Well…" he started cagily, "Bud might have mentioned that you know everything to a few people, and I guess it spread?" he asked hesitantly.

She couldn't stop herself from reaching out and slapping him on the head at that.

* * *

After that, it was like the floodgates had opened.

With just a few days, she treated what Rosalee would later help her identify were two more _waschbar_, a _faeteo fatalis_, a couple of _wütende taube_, and, memorably, a _klaustreich_.

It could have been worse, everyone assured her, but she wasn't in any mood to believe them. Her emotions had already been strung dry by treating so many animals, all the while making sure she wasn't doing anything that would harm them when they turned back into humans.

And then a wolf that turned out to be a _blutbad_ was brought to her, and she had had enough.

Really, she thought she was perfectly justified in asking Bud to tell all his friends to make sure that hurt _wesen_ in their animal started spreading their business to other clinics too.

* * *

**A/N: According to the wiki - **_waschbar_: raccoon-like wesen  
_faeteo fatalis_: skunk-like wesen  
_wütende taube_: pigeon-like wesen**  
**

**As for Juliette...well, as much as I like her as a character, the sheer and utter lack of chemistry makes it rather hard for me to accept her as Nick's girlfriend. So in this piece, and my headcanon for these two in general, they never got back together after the mess of Season 2. They're just best friends now.**

**I hope you guys liked this! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	19. Silent Night

**WARNINGS: Slight pre-slash if you've got goggles on :)**

* * *

Barry would be the first to admit that the relationship between him and his dad wasn't exactly smooth.

Frank Rabe was the new generation of wesen, perfectly capable of giving up old ways to make it easier to blend in with the human world. But Barry wasn't him – Barry had been brought up mainly by his mother, and he had learned far more of the old traditions than simply the Roh-hatz that had gone so wrong.

In the end, Barry Rabe was more his mother's son than his father's, and both of them knew it.

That was, perhaps, why his father made sure that he was almost constantly busy once he had been released from juvenile detention. It had been a month before Christmas when he had re-joined the world, and in the three weeks since then, Barry couldn't remember a moment when he had been truly free to do what he wanted.

* * *

"A _music programme_?" he asked his father disbelievingly, "And a _classical_ music programme at that?" The utter thought of it was impossible to Barry – he couldn't imagine himself enjoying classical music of any kind, especially not after he had been forced into an evening of Beethoven just a few days ago.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it," his father replied, looking unruffled by his son's shock. "The kids performing are all your age, and Nick mentioned that one of them is both a prodigy and _wesen_. If nothing else, you can entertain yourself by trying to figure out who and what kind of _wesen_ that young person is."

Barry gave him a dark glare, but it was obvious that his father wasn't about to budge in his decision. He had no doubt that he would be doing exactly as his father suggested – classical music wasn't something that held any interest to him.

* * *

Really, he could practically _hear_ his father laughing at him, even though he had mostly been right.

It hadn't been interesting – it was just typical Christmas carols, only without the lyrics, and as far as Barry was concerned, there wasn't anything particularly brilliant about the way it was being played on the stage. The place might have been a prestigious music school, but it didn't exactly look like they had very high standards. The idea of a prodigy among the people he had already seen and heard was laughable, and there definitely wasn't anyone clearly _wesen_ there either.

And then the last performer stepped on stage.

Identifying him as _wesen_ was almost stupidly easy – he _woged_ as soon as he cast an eye on his audience – but that didn't mean that Barry believed that he was any sort of prodigy.

Of course, then he – the programme he had been given at the start of the show identified him as Roddy Geiger – began to play. It took maybe a few moments to identify the tune as 'Silent Night,' and then it was almost like he was in another world, drifting on the notes that the _reinigen_ was playing on the stage.

He didn't know how long the boy on the stage played, and he could barely recall exactly _what_ he played. All he knew that the music that came from his violin was perhaps the most beautiful he had ever heard in his life.

Prodigy indeed.

When he finally stopped playing, and the show came to close, Barry had learned a few things about himself. For one, he could learn to love classical music if it was played as well as the _reinigen_ had. For another, he had a strange suspicion that he would be dropping by the Von Hamelin Institute often after school for whatever reason he could make up. As interesting as the music had been, its player had captured his attention just as much.

His father would be pleased, not having to figure out new ways to keep him busy. He had a feeling finding out all he possibly could about Roddy Geiger would do that job rather well.

* * *

"I told you you would enjoy it."

Barry just settled for another glare.

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	20. Cold

**A/N: Episode tag to 1.11 Tarantella**

* * *

He should have known better.

She might have been barely fourteen, but she knew her heritage well. Her parents had been prepared for all eventualities, and she had learnt the details of what she would eventually have to do for the last two years.

_Le retour d'age_ might not have affected her yet, but they all – he included – knew better than to think it would be too long. Soon, it would be her in her mother's place.

And the Grimm had just let her go.

* * *

It had been nearly a year since she had lost her mother to the Grimm who hid behind a police badge, and Sally Marcinko just _knew_ that she would become a true _spinnetod_ soon. It was fitting that it was nearly Christmas – what better way to celebrate new life than to be born again?

And she would be born again, becoming the creature from the dark instead of ordinary Sally like she currently was. After all, a fully mature female _spinnetod_ was the stuff of nightmares even full grown men – _especially_ full grown men – shuddered to think of.

Nearly a year ago, when the Grimm had taken her mother, she had thought him an idiot for leaving her alive. After all, he knew as well as she did that it was only a matter of time before she replaced her mother.

She still thought the Grimm was idiot, but she couldn't bare him any ill will. As much as she hated the thought, by arresting her parents, the Grimm had done her a rather large favour, even though she doubted he had been aware of it.

She had learned everything her mother had to teach her, but there were still things she needed to know, things her mother had never known.

In taking her mother away, the Grimm had taught her how to be a better killer.

Unlike her mother, she would hunt those who would never be found, men from the drudges of society. All she needed was three every half a decade – she could manage that. And more than that, she would make sure she never made her mother's fatal mistake – she would never, _ever_, start to care for the man who would give up his life so that she could be her true self, instead of a withered crone.

Sally Marcinko would become a killer no one knew existed, coming and going before anyone knew even one person was dead.

In a way, even the season seemed to support her. Christmas and winter made people just a bit too careless, and hunting in the winter would be practically child's play, even for a fifteen year old who had never killed – or even seen a dead body – in her life before.

* * *

So yes, the Grimm should have known better, letting her go the way he did.

But as Sally smiled, and looked out at the crowd of prospective victims who didn't even know they were being watched, she found she was grateful.

This…was going to be _fun_.

* * *

**A/N: So basically, this was a little self-serving, because I've always loved the thought of insane!serial killer!Sally ever since I watched that episode - we have a perfect set up for that, since _spinnetods_ are basically built to kill, and it's not like she has her parents to serve as moral compasses once the compulsion hits her anymore... **

**Anyhow, I hope you guys liked this! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)**


	21. Nymphs

"I still don't understand," Sarah murmured, staring at her brunette sister in both amazement and confusion. "He's not anyone special at all, not someone I'd have seen you with…"

"I agree with her, little sister," Anna murmured from the chair where she was lounging. "Saving him might have made sense, but the last few months – I just don't understand the draw. And now you want to-?"

Elly laughed. It wasn't something that was particularly loud, but it was enough to make her sisters pause.

_I told you, Sarah_, she signed in reply, _I love him_.

It was those words which drew a strangled sound of confusion from her eldest sister. "I know!" Sarah exclaimed in reply, "It's just that I don't understand it, not in the least!"

_I know. It's just – something I can't change._

"Maybe," Anna grumbled, "But I still don't see why he has to come here. And for Christmas dinner, too!"

"That, at least, I can understand, Ann," Sarah said. "Though I have to admit, it worries me a little, Elly," she continued, turning troubled eyes on the youngest of the three. "To want to introduce him to your family, formally…"

"In truth, I suppose he already knows us," Anna grinned, "So why does he want to meet us again? I'd have thought he'd have run as far away as possible after what happened."

_He wants to understand. He wants to get to know you as more than just stories. And – I want you to truly meet him too._

Anna knew her sister well, and the way she had phrased her words- "Just what did you tell him about us?" she asked her suspiciously. Surely not even Elly…

Her only reply was a mischievous smile, and a flash of electric blue eyes, before she ran towards the water, her laughter following her.

Her sisters exchanged defeated glances and followed – they knew better than to try and dissuade Elly once her mind was made up, and if Jake already knew, there really was little they could do about it. It was better for them to join their sister in the water. If nothing else, it would calm them down before they had to face the human in a few days' time.

And who knew – without the threat of Dominic and Jesse hanging over their heads, maybe it would actually go well.

And then there was a splash of water – and after that, no more words were needed for some time. Not for the three of them.

* * *

**A/N: Is it obvious that I love happy ending?  
general zargon - this isn't Robin - I had to discard my idea for her since I had conveniently forgotten that the __****Unbezahlbar** shattered - but I hope the _naiads_ were a good enough replacement :)  


**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	22. Cloying

**A/N: Follow up to Chapter 15 :)**

* * *

As far as reprisals went, he had to admit that it was rather simple. Monroe would have preferred for it to something bigger and grander – he wasn't usually the kind to hold a grudge, but Rosalee hadn't stopped laughing for _days_. Unfortunately, however, unlike Nick, he didn't have something obvious to poke at.

So, of course, he had to get a bit – well, _creative_.

"Monroe?" Rosalee called from one of the room, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing at all, Rose," he shouted back in reply. He had no doubt that she would stop him if she knew what she was planning – as it was, she had been throwing him suspicious glances ever since the hilarity of the whistle had blown off. If she caught wind of this- well, there was a reason why he was typing this out painfully slowly on his cell phone and not the computer.

* * *

_Honoured_ Lodge Chair,

_I_ was just having a discussion with my good friend Nicholas Burkhardt a few days ago, and he happened to mention how grateful he had been for all the care packages your members dropped off at his home after the incident with the _hässlichen_.

_As_ we are soon approaching Christmas, I wondered if it would be possible for me to ask a favour on the behalf of said friend. Perhaps, as an anonymous gift, your members would be persuaded to gift him such things again?

_I_ await you reply.

_Yours_ sincerely,

_Eddie Monroe, Blutdbad_

* * *

Monroe smirked as he pressed 'send.' He'd had a conversation with Nick about the _eisbiebers_, all right – but as he remembered, that conversation had involved his complete exasperation and slight irritation as the beaver practice to gift him with anything and everything they could get their hands on.

This might have been so much more subtle than Nick's little joke, but he was sure he would come out in the end. After all, the amusement provided by the whistle had lasted only for a few days – but Monroe knew _eisbieber_ habits. Now that they had actual validation – well, if the gifts stopped before Christmas next year, he would honestly be surprised.

Monroe smirked. He'd have to make sure that Bud let him when the rest of the Lodge planned on dropping by their gifts – it would be rather remiss of him not to drop by on the same day and check if Nick was okay.

Nicholas Burkhardt, Grimm extraordinaire, should have known better than to challenge Eddie Monroe, famous blutbad prankster, at his own game.

* * *

**A/N: Because Monroe's much more subtle when it comes to getting back at pesky Grimms :P  
Besides, I doubt too much mothering - as the eisbiebers seem to be happy to do - is something that Nick (or almost anyone) can deal with over extended periods. He seemed exasperated at the bounty in his house in the show, I can only imagine his reaction if it happened again...  
**

**I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	23. Return

**A/N: Tag to 2.09, La Llorona**

* * *

It had been so long.

She could still remember Lucas' laughter as he ran around the house as clearly as she if the last time she had heard it was only yesterday, not years ago. This had always been his favourite season, even though his sister clung to Halloween and its promised candy.

Of course, Luna hadn't laughed on Halloween since she lost her brother.

After Lucas had been lost – and he had been so young then, only just beginning to change – she had kept to herself, haunted by grief and guilt. Sofia had lost her son, that was true, but she had a daughter and a husband who kept her going. And besides, Sofia had been the one who had let Lucas go.

Valentina, though – no matter how often Sofia and Matias told her that they didn't blame her, no matter how many times her parents tried to bring her smile back – Valentina had never forgiven herself. Lucas had been lost when _she_ was with him, and she hadn't been able to face her family since then. And then she kept on failing year after year, and she couldn't bring herself to return without something to show.

But this year was different. This year – this year she had finally been able to begin her penance. She did not yet know if thwarting _La Llorona_ once was enough to keep her away forever, but at least she hadn't been able to take those children in Portland like she had Lucas and who knows how many countless other children.

This year, Valentina had finally proven herself, even if no one had asked her to.

But even with that comfort, returning here had been difficult. _Las Posadas_ had already begun, and eight of them were completed by the time she had finally managed to gather her courage.

As she walked towards her childhood home, she could see the children on the streets, celebrating the last of the year's _Posadas_. A part of her wondered if Luna was among them – it had been so long since she had allowed herself to see her niece.

But she _would_ meet her again, either today or tomorrow. All she had to do was take the final-

The door in front of opened. She had been told over and over how much she resembled the man standing in the doorway, looking at her in wonder. She hadn't seen for so long either…

"_Papá_," she half-sobbed, reaching out for him blindly.

As her father enveloped her in his arms, Valentina Espinosa was finally home again.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys liked it! As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out :)  
**


	24. Debate

"Of all the ways I debated spending my Christmas this year, I have to admit this never quite crossed my mind," the man murmured, looking at his younger colleague in front of him.

"Perhaps we underestimated the Grimm," Alexander replied. "After all we have heard from Portland…"

"That is true," Albert De Groot mused. "It seems we are living in a strange world, Mr Meijer. First the incident with the _grausen_, and now this. I almost wish we were back to dealing with those young people who thought to break the _Gesetzbuch Ehrenkodex_ again."

"They were undoubtedly easier to manage," the _pflichttreue_ said in agreement.

"Yes they were. But I find we still have an important question left to answer – the Krampus that the Grimm handed us control over. What do we do about him?"

Alexander watched the man he had known since childhood with worried eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen De Groot without a quick action in mind, and he found he didn't like the change.

"If he is as unaware of _wesen_ as we have been told, it will perhaps be an insurmountable obstacle to getting him to believe the truth."

De Groot turned from the window to face his young protégé. "Indeed," he murmured. "If this was any other case, I would have suggested an easier way out. But as things are unfolding in Portland, I do not truly believe we can risk having the Grimm against us."

"It is true then?" Alexander asked in fain shock. "About the bastard prince?"

"Sean Renard, yes. It seems he has not only thrown in his lot with the _Laufer_, but also with Grimm. He is too important to risk alienating, especially with the politics of his family now that the heir is dead."

"Many believe that he had a hand in it."

"And I do not doubt it," De Groot replied calmly. "Still, I do not think he intends to take over. From what I know of him, he is not too pleased with the idea of the Royal Houses existing at all, which makes him an all the more necessary ally."

"And it all comes back to the Krampus," Alexander sighed.

"Indeed. I suspect that this is a test – we made it rather clear that we did not trust the Grimm over the _grausen_ incident, and as it stands, that was an intrusion into his territory without prior warning. This is his way of making certain that he can trust us – and someone who already holds the trust of a Royal, bastard or not, is not one to be trifled with."

"What about you?"

"For all that we have an understanding, Sean Renard has never trusted me, nor I him. No, if it comes to a choice, there is little doubt in my mind that he will choose the Grimm, even if doing so did not ensure a rather large amount of political power would fall into his hands," De Groot said.

Another person would have thought that he had made peace with that decision, understood it, even. But Alexander could detect the slightest hint of bitterness – his mentor had never taken well to the knowledge that there were greater powers in the world that he had to appease.

"And so, young Alexander," De Groot murmured, "We return to my original question. What do we do with the Krampus?"

As the man turned to look out the window in quiet contemplation, Alexander sighed. He had been looking forward to Christmas – but obviously, all those plans had to be cancelled now. This took precedence over anything else.

…

Damn the Grimm.

* * *

**A/N: So I was rewatching 'Stories We Tell Our Young' and I've decided that I'm kind of in love with Alexander's character. I don't even know why.  
Plus, I don't think the Council is going to be too pleased to be saddled with a Krampus just a couple of days before Christmas, so here have some wesen politics :)**

**Just one more chapter in this collection to go - I'm pretty sure it's going to be a min character ensemble piece.  
**

**Anyhow, I hope you guys liked this. As always, please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


	25. Dinner Time Madness

**A/N 1: I apologise for the delay in posting this - FFN was being rather uncooperative yesterday when it came to posting fics/chapters.  
WARNINGS: Pre-slash Nick/Renard**

* * *

"I still don't understand how you can make this taste edible!" Hank exclaimed, holding his hand out to grab the platter of tofurkey from Nick. "It's like a culinary miracle – I'm telling you, you could make good money if you ever opened a restaurant."

"Yes, but then he wouldn't be here to cook for us," Juliette replied, laughter in her voice.

"Good point. Forget I ever said anything."

It was over the sound of laughter that Monroe heard the doorbell ring.

"Rose? Didn't Bud and his wife say they couldn't make it?" he asked carefully as he got up to make his way towards the door.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, I know they were going to a Lodge thing instead, so I doubt that they've changed their mind and are at the door, and I know we didn't invite anyone else, so who just rang the doorbell?"

"Oh,, right!" Rosalee exclaimed, "I completely forgot to tell you! Nick and I decided to invite someone else to the party too. You'll see who it is."

The mischievous smile that accompanied her words did absolutely nothing to make him feel any better. When he reached the door and took a look through it to see who was standing on the other side – well, he could that one up as a win for his gut.

After all, the last thing that any _wesen_ in the city expected to see on their doorstep on Christmas-eve was the Prince of Portland holding what looked to be a bottle of wine in his hands.

For a moment, all he could do was stand there and stare. He had met Sean Renard before, of course – but that had been in his capacity as Nick's consultant on all things _wesen_ or as someone who helped Rosalee out in the spice shop, definitely not in any sort of actual social situation. As far as he was aware, there was absolutely no precedent on how to act when a Royal showed up at your doorstep for dinner on Christmas Eve.

It was only when he noticed the amused look on the Prince's face that he realised just how long he had been standing in the doorway, gawping at said Prince. Of course, Rosalee chose exactly that moment to call out from the table, "Monroe! What's taking so long?"

"Nothing, Rose," he called back, before turning to face Renard. "I'm sorry," he apologised, moving from the doorway, "Please come in."

As he entered the house, Monroe noticed that Renard's amusement hadn't seemed to diminish at all – in fact, his smirk had only widened at Rosalee's words and his own admittedly panicked reply.

For some odd reason, Monroe was strongly reminded of a certain Grimm he knew very well. He had no doubt that if it had been Nick in Renard's place, his reaction would have been exactly the same as the Royal's – the only difference might have been that he would have snarked at Monroe a bit, unlike Renard.

And wasn't that a downright frightening thought. He liked Nick, he really did – after all, the Grimm _was_ his best friend. But he wasn't exactly blind either.

Nick Burkhardt could be an extremely frightening person when he wanted to be, and combining that power with the aura of a Royal- Monroe shuddered. It was probably best for his mental health not to think about the possibilities.

"Oh, hey Captain!"

The sound of Hank's cheerful voice broke through his thoughts. The sight that greeted him was just as terrifying as the one that had been waiting for him on his doorstep.

Somehow, he had unconsciously led Renard to the dining table, and he was being greeted rather cheerfully by Nick and Hank – both of whom had full knowledge of exactly who their boss was and what power he held. Worse, Rosalee and Juliette seemed to be almost too calm about the situation – it seemed as though he was the only one who could see all the possibilities for a train-wreck.

And then, to make matters worse, Renard gave Hank a chiding look and said, "It's Sean when we aren't in the precinct, Hank, you know that." Of course, that just led to the horrific realisation that it was almost certain that the three of them had done something like this before, maybe met up at some cop party or something.

The point was, regardless of the tension that had been caused by the revelation of who exactly Renard was, now that time had passed, Nick and Hank were rather comfortable around the Prince of Portland.

And Monroe was good friends with the two of them.

Yeah, that wasn't terrifying at all.

* * *

Surprisingly – at least, as far as he was concerned – the dinner actually went fine. There weren't too many instances when he wanted to cower away from the Royal sitting across him, so all in all, he counted that as a success.

But the real surprise came later, when Rosalee invited him to stay on and he accepted.

"What was that all about?" he hissed at her, pulling her away from where everyone else was sitting.

To his eternal irritation, Rosalee just smiled calmly. "I have my reasons, Monroe."

"Yeah, but you _know_ what we had planned!"

"Yes, and I don't think there's any risk discussing _wesen_ around him. After all, I'm pretty sure he knows as much as the two of us, _combined_."

Honestly, he loved Rosalee, but at times like this, he really wished she wasn't so calm about practically _everything_.

"Stop frowning, Monroe," she said, leaning up to peck him gently. "Nothing's going to go wrong, I promise."

"Can you at least tell me why you invited him?" he asked. As much as he didn't want to admit it, his voice was suspiciously close to a whine. "It's not like we actually know him, not like Nick and Hank do!"

Rosalee threw him a smirk over his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure it by the end of the night," she said, laughter in her voice.

Monroe would be the first one to admit that he needed to concentrate on something apart from the Royal in his sitting room. Roaslee had given him a perfect challenge to take his mind off of that fact – and he was going to figure out her motivations by the end of the night, or he was a _bauerschwine_.

So he kept a close on eye on everyone even as he participated in what seemed set to become an annual tradition – a yearly round-up of the worst _wesen_ arrested or seen by Hank and Nick.

It took him some time, but it wasn't really hard to miss if someone was actually paying attention. The looks Nick was shooting Renard – scarily reminiscent of how he used to look at Juliette before Adalind decided to interfere – when the Captain wasn't looking were bad enough. To make matters worse, the looks were returned in equal intensity by the Prince.

A Royal and a Grimm. Honestly, Monroe wouldn't have been surprised if _this_ was why his grandparents and parents had warned him to stay as far away from Grimms as possible – there was absolutely _no wesen_ who would be comfortable in such a situation.

(Apart from Rosalee, obviously. But then, he was just as certain that Rose had some special, as yet undiscovered powers that allowed her to deal with this without freaking out.)

The two most powerful types of people in the _wesen_ world, together. There was a reason that Royals and Grimms always operated separately, even when they had been allies – together, they were just too powerful.

And that was what was happening right in front of him.

He didn't know how long it would take for the two of them to get their acts together – he knew how Nick could get, after all – but it was inevitable that it would happen.

Suddenly, Monroe was certain that Portland was about to get far more interesting than he had ever imagined, even after meeting Nick.

…

Investing in a large bomb shelter would probably be a good idea.

* * *

**A/N 2: So, this is where this collection ends. My favourite part of Grimm is the way they develop the minor characters, who usually only appear in one episode, in a way that I've rarely seen any other show manage, and I really hope that this collection - for all that it was often hijacked by our favourite main characters - showed that. The human angle of the show is just as important as the new supernatural revelations, and that is what I wanted to celebrate. **

**Thank you, all of you, who have reviewed, favourited, followed, or even just read this story - I'm really glad that so many of you liked it.**

**I hope you guys enjoy this last piece, and a belated Merry Christmas to everyone! Please don't forget to drop a review on your way out! :)**


End file.
